Bücher von Lauren A. Holland

Pathological exercise (PE) is a common feature of individuals with eating disorders (ED) andrepresents a key maintaining factor of eating pathology. However, little is known aboutunderlying mechanisms that maintain PE and whether these mechanisms are influenced by theoccurrence of PE in the context of an ED. The present study tested hypotheses that women withPE would 1) experience exercise as more reinforcing, 2) show greater cortisol reactivity inresponse to exercise, and 3) that greater cortisol reactivity in response to exercise would predictgreater increases in positive affect following exercise. Participants (N=64 women total; n=16 PEwith ED, n=16 PE Only, n=16 ED Only, n=16 Control) completed a computerized progressiveratio (PR) task to earn running time on a treadmill as a measure of the reinforcing value ofexercise. HPA-axis response to acute exercise was measured through salivary cortisol andchanges in affect were measured by a self-report questionnaire. Participants provided four salivasamples and self-report ratings directly prior to and 0-, 20-, and 40- minutes after running for 30minutes on a treadmill at 75% maximum heart rate. Results indicated that women with PE hadsignificantly higher reinforcing value of exercise (p